Have the Dallas Cowboys hit on back 2 back drafts?

The hype always surrounds newly drafted players and that statement holds especially true when it comes to the Dallas Cowboys. I am still numb that the NFL allowed wide receiver CeeDee Lamb to be selected by the Dallas Cowboys last season.

This season, the hype surrounds off-the-ball linebacker Micah Parsons who has already established himself as a starter. Both of those players should be early and regular contributors for the Dallas Cowboys moving forward.

The Dallas Cowboys have done a great job with their first-round selections in the last ten years or so. Too bad I am not here to talk about first-round selections.  As good as it has been, it is entirely possible that their second-round picks hold the key to the team’s success.

Cornerbacks are expensive to put it plain and simple. Most teams usually have to pay at least one top dollar while some teams employ two high-dollar cover guys like down in Miami.

The Dallas Cowboys got lucky when Alabama cornerback fell to them in the second round last season. The talk during the draft last season was how impactful LSU edge rusher K’Lavon Chaisson would be in Dallas. I was in the minority when I said I would rather have Diggs in round one than Chaisson.

Thankfully Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones got his toy in wideout CeeDee Lamb but I am even more amazed that Diggs fell to the second round. This guy could be the steal of the entire NFL draft. That is a bold statement considering Lamb has the ability to become a top-five wide receiver in the league this season.

WIth Diggs on board and ready to vault himself into the conversation of defensive leader, I have to be even more impressed with the current play of this year’s second-round cornerback Kelvin Joseph.

Most people were ready to write off Joseph during the team’s offseason mini-camp. It appeared as if he might have been a bit out of shape and all the talk was about the progression of fellow drafted cornerback Nahshon Wright.

In my 53 man projection, I warned everyone about how different it is once the pads come on. I also talked about my hope on how the cornerback depth chart shapes out.

There is a feeling amongst some who are watching practice out in Oxnard that rookie Kelvin Joseph, or “Bossman Fat”, is making a serious push to start opposite second-year corner Trevon Diggs. That is a line I was hoping I could write and I just did.

Anthony Brown is currently the starter opposite of Diggs but we all know most positions on defense are put down in pencil and not ink.

The front office has to be delighted that the team has two potential high-end starting cornerbacks on their roster and both were used with back-to-back second-round picks. Just like Wright had to prove he could do it with pads on, Joseph has to show he can do it against others in the league. Either way, his arrow is definitely pointing up.

I have to agree with Bleacher Report’s top five cornerback tandems in the NFL. There are two things that stand out about those top groups. First, every team on that list has a starter that wasn’t originally drafted by the team that employs them. Second, every team on that list has at least one cornerback making at least $9 million a year, and compensation has reached as far up as  $20 million for one season of play.

Diggs and Joseph are set to count about $1.8 million in 2021, combined!

Say what you want about this front office but it is very clear that they did a nice job with their second-round selections.

It is entirely possible that the talk at the end of the Dallas Cowboys season could have phrases such as “best young and talented cornerback duo” or “second round steals”.

Joseph has a long way to prove himself but a rookie pushing a veteran in just the first week of padded practice is music to my ears.